I'm Moving On
by Crimson-Pen531
Summary: Kurama's past has hung over his head for centuries, and now it's finally time for him to repent and move on to a life of simple comfort. Oneshot.


Kurama awoke when his alarm went off at exactly seven o'clock. He turned over tiredly and flipped the switch, stretching as he sat up. He had to flinch a bit when he opened his eyes to discover sunlight pouring through his bedroom window. It had been seventeen years since he had first taken on a Human form, and still he wasn't used to that accursed sunlight. Of course, that was to be expected after living hundreds of years in complete darkness, thriving in the recesses of Demon World.

As he threw his legs over the side of the bed and began to get ready for school, he had to wonder if he would ever get used to the brightness that Human World held. It seemed so innocent, that brilliance in glow, and he also had to wonder if perhaps he would have turned out as blameless as the rest of these humans if he had been born in the light as well.

In his past few years living as a human, he had learned so much from Yusuke and his friends. He had been taught how to love another person, to care about his or her wellbeing, and that was just the very beginning of it all. Those humans, so seemingly weak and imperfect in their meager existence, had shown him the path to reconciliation. Slowly, he was repenting for each and every sin he committed while living as Youko the Spirit Fox, the King of Thieves.

He realized that he had lived for so long in the past, thinking only of all the terrible things he had done, but not really doing anything to atone for them. Now, thanks to Yusuke and the ever-naïve but wise ways of Prince Koenma, he was repaying his debt written in blood by being a part of the team that worked together to protect the Spirit and Human Worlds. Koenma had told him many times that his sins were more than paid for, but he still felt the need to remain with them. They weren't merely his teammates anymore. They were his friends.

He was reminded once again of the reasons why he wanted to be a better person when he heard a very sweet voice call up to his room, "Shuuichi! It's almost time for school! Come downstairs, and I'll get your breakfast ready!"

Kurama smiled every time he heard his mother's voice. She was so innocent and pure, and he was glad that the world hadn't been stripped of her beautiful naïveté so soon. Of course, that too was all thanks to Yusuke.

_I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons_

_Finally content with a past I regret_

_I've found you find strength in your moments of weakness_

_For once I'm at peace with myself_

_I've been burdened with blame, trapped in the past for too long_

_I'm movin' on_

Several minutes later, Kurama walked down the sidewalk to school and passed all the familiar faces. Each of these humans looked the same to him before, just features all blurred together that didn't really matter, but lately he had truly realized the worth of a human life. Their insignificant subsistence hadn't at all affected him just years before. They were just humans, nothing more than scum to be crushed. How wrong he was. He even flinched now at the thought of how vicious his notions used to be.

Just as he was almost at school, he heard a familiar voice call out angrily, "Kurama!"

He turned around with a smile, prepared for whatever it was his small companion had to deal out today. "Good morning, Hiei," he replied cheerfully. "You seem angry today. Could this possibly be something I have done?"

Hiei growled and said, "You're a little bit happier than I remember you being in a long time. The last time I saw you with this kind of smile on your face, you'd just committed an exceptional kill, but I'm getting the feeling that this isn't the reason."

"Of course not," he replied simply. "Hiei, you know I no longer care about senseless killing. You said it yourself: There is no honor in a life like that."

"I'm not just talking about senseless killing, you stupid Fox!" he shouted. "When are you going to come back, huh? When is Youko going to come back? That Fox was the kind of Demon that everyone feared and respected, and what are _you_? You're just another one of these scared little humans!"

Kurama sighed deeply. "You know me almost better than I know myself, Hiei. I did used to be very vicious and conniving. I realize now the error of my previous life, and I'm doing everything I can to make up for it. I'm changing for the better this time."

The small demon groaned in frustration and threw up his hands, giving up on the whole thing. He'd tried to convince his old friend several times to come back to the real world, but his coercion was to no avail. Youko remained content to stay inside the guise of this calm, "innocent" human boy named Shuuichi Minamino.

Another few minutes later, Kurama arrived at school to see all the usual suspects sitting around the courtyard and waiting for the bell to ring. It wasn't very long ago that he hadn't felt at all at home around these humans. Their ways were strange to him, and he felt as though he would never be a part of them. Now, even though he was still getting used to the teenage customs of normal humans, he was more comfortable around them than he had been, and they were obviously more comfortable around him.

This evidence was given again when he heard several of the teenage girls shout, "Good morning, Shuuichi!"

He resisted a laugh at their expense, how shallow and simple human girls were, and he made his way up to the front steps of the school for yet another day of meaningless learning. His thousand-odd years of living had made him not only wise in the ways of the world, but intelligent in its aspects as well. It was hardly worth going to school to "learn" it all over again.

_I've lived in this place and I know all the faces_

_Each one is different but they're always the same_

_They mean me no harm but it's time that I face it_

_They'll never allow me to change_

_But I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong_

_I'm movin' on_

Later that evening, Kurama found himself at Yusuke's apartment with the rest of the gang, sitting around and talking about nothing in particular, that was, until Botan said in her usual bubbly voice, "Oh, Kurama! How are your mother's wedding plans coming? I just can't wait to see her as a blushing bride! She's going to be so beautiful!"

He smiled and replied, "They are going as well as can be expected, I suppose. You know how women can be when preparing for their own weddings. She's more excited than I've seen her in years, and I have to admit that I enjoy seeing her this happy. I don't think I've seen my mother smile sincerely since before my father died."

"That's so fantastic," Yukina said in her usual quiet and calm, but sweet voice. "Shiori deserves so much happiness in her life, especially after all the sadness she has endured. It's more than time that she was moving on toward a better future."

There was a bit of a silence until finally Koenma said, "Hmm, that's a bit of a parallel, don't you think, Kurama? Your mother is moving on, starting a new life with a new husband, but she's keeping all the love she had before inside her as well. Perhaps you should do the same."

He continued to stare into space as he replied, "Yes, I have thought about the very same thing. If my mother can so easily start over, why can't I?"

Yusuke stretched as he said, "Well, you know you can always count on us, Fox Boy. We may be useless most of the time, but if you're really serious about starting over and forming a new life, we're right behind you all the way. You just say the word, and we'll give you any kind of help you need."

The kitsune had to laugh. "It's funny, Yusuke," he said. "A few years ago, you weren't anywhere near mature enough to make such a statement. To be quite honest, I would have pictured you leaving any one of us in the dust just a few years ago only to better yourself in the Spirit World. I'm glad you have grown so much over these past few years."

"You and me both," Keiko said, feigning angry. "He may be more mature and responsible when it comes to his teammates, but he still has a long way to go with his schoolwork. Honestly, Yusuke! When are you going to start coming to school regularly and doing all your homework? If you fail and have to graduate a year behind me, don't even think I'll be coming to your rescue."

As the two began their usual argument as though they were an old married couple, Kurama watched with a little smile on his face. Indeed, Yusuke and the others had all grown and matured over the past several years, and he was quite glad of it.

Looking around now at all his friends, he realized just how much they _had_ changed. When he had first met Yusuke and Kuwabara, their Spirit Energies were minimal to say the very least. They were immature and selfish, thinking nothing of their teammates, and yet now they were not only stronger, but also more mature and caring. They had both learned that it wasn't just a team's strength that won battles, but also the bonds formed between the members of a team.

As for Hiei, he was nowhere near as hostile as he used to be. While the traces of an evil streak still lingered not far below the surface, he was much calmer than before. Kurama knew that his friend had realized that there were more honorable things in life than killing for the mere pleasure of feeling blood on your sword, and part of that had to be attributed to Yukina's appearance in Hiei's life several years ago.

Yes, Kurama realized again. He definitely wasn't alone in changing his life. In fact, he was really the last of the group to turn a corner, to truly turn a corner. They all knew what it was like to make your life different, to change the way you were because you were unhappy with the way your life had been thus far. If he had any qualms about changing now, they were all but placated just by looking at his friends.

_I'm movin' on_

_At last I can see life has been patiently waiting for me_

_And I know there's no guarantees, but I'm not alone_

_There comes a time in everyone's life_

_When all you can see are the years passing by_

_And I have made up my mind that those days are gone_

The months passed flew by, and before Kurama blinked, he realized that his mother had been married for six months already, and it was time for him to do what he had been planning for years. It was finally time to tell Shiori Minamino, the woman who had loved and cared for him for the past eighteen years, to learn the truth about her wayward son. He was certain she would understand because, despite her inexperienced exterior, she was really quite wise for her young age.

He waited until after his stepfather and stepbrother were gone before walking into the living room to see his mother sitting on the couch and reading a book, her normal afternoon routine. He sat down beside her, and she instantly looked up and said, "Hello, Shuuichi!" She then noticed the look of despair on his face and said worriedly, "What's wrong, dear?"

Kurama took her hand in his and said, "Mother, there is something I've been meaning to tell you for quite some time now. I know this is going to be hard to understand, and it isn't going to make any sense to you at first, but I'm sure you'll come to comprehend everything very quickly."

She stared at him with sympathetic eyes as he told her the story of his life, how he had lived a life of crime in Demon World as the infamous King of Thieves. Those sympathetic eyes grew wide with fear, then soft again with sadness, and before it was all over, the tears had welled up in her eyes and were gently streaming down her face.

It sounded crazy, she knew. Demons and apparitions? Weren't they just fairy tales? But to hear her son tell of these things, it all seemed so real, and he had never lied to her before. Why should he create such a tall tale now? With the sincerity in his eyes and voice, she felt like she had to believe him. It was almost too much to suppose. Her son was the Fox of legend, the demon who roamed the Three Worlds, stealing whatever he could.

Every child had heard that story, but everyone had deemed it to be just a myth, nothing but a story about the gods and their demons created to entertain small children. Shiori had never been one to believe in such simplicities, but to discover that her own son was in fact that Spirit…

When he was finally finished with his story, ending with when he had entered her body and was born as her son, she could no longer resist the urge. She hugged him tightly, holding him close to her, just as she had when he was a baby. "My son," she said softly as she cried.

He put his arms around her and said, "Forgive me, Mother, for not telling you sooner. I contemplated not telling you at all because I didn't want you to have to go through the pain of knowing what your son really is. Forgive me for all I've done in the past, Mother."

"Oh, my Shuuichi," she whispered. "My Youko, my Kurama. I don't care what you did in the past. It doesn't matter to me who you were, because that's exactly what it is: what you _were_. Now, you are my son, my only pride and joy, and that evil spirit no longer resides in you."

He furrowed his brow and said, "How can you be sure? I can't even know that that spirit is gone. How do I know that the Fox still doesn't live within me?"

She put her hand tenderly to his cheek and smiled. "Shuuichi, I have watched you grow from a baby to a boy to a man in a span of eighteen years, and I always knew that there was something special about you. You were always a calm child, and very intelligent for your age. While you did spend many of your younger years as a rebel, I felt the change in you immediately right after you became friends with Yusuke and his friends.

"It was as if your entire soul had been reconstructed, and I couldn't figure out the difference. Instead of being the angry, rebellious child you once were, you were all of a sudden very calm and caring. Even your voice was kinder, your countenance more meek. Now, I understand the reasons why.

"My son, I know that the evil inside you is no longer there because I have watched you. You're compassionate and considerate, and just the fact that you feel so terrible for all the wrongs you committed so long ago tells me what a wonderful person you have become. Do you think that an evil person would feel regret for past evil deeds?"

He was silent for several minutes, but she simply continued to smile as she held his hand tightly and continued, "I don't, Shuuichi. I'm glad you've told me everything, and I understand completely. That Fox may still live inside you, but he sleeps in an eternal winter, or at least the evil side of him does, and all that remains is this beautiful spirit named Shuuichi Minamino."

Kurama had to smile at his mother's words. Nothing in the world could have meant more to him than to hear her say that no matter what he had done in the past, he was absolved of it now, and she loved him for who he was. He hugged her tightly once again and said, "Thank you, Mother. Thank you so much for caring for me all these years. It is so much more than I deserve, and for that, I will always love you."

She smiled as well and replied, "And I love you…my only son."

_I sold what I could and packed what I couldn't_

_Stopped to fill up on my way out of town_

_I've loved like I should but lived that I shouldn't_

_I had to lose everything to find out_

_Maybe forgiveness will find me somewhere down this road_

_I'm movin' on_

_I'm movin' on_


End file.
